


Drowning in your Everything

by x_Lazart_x



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, M/M, Misunderstandings, Pining, lifeguard!Kisumi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-07-10 21:07:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15957563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/x_Lazart_x/pseuds/x_Lazart_x
Summary: When Asahi gets saved by the most beautiful lifeguard, who is coincidentally the reason he was drowning in the first place, he's intent on asking him out on a date. Unfortunately he has other ideas:“So I was thinking, I mean if you want to, if you wouldn’t mind, you could, say tomorrow night-”“Of course! I’d love to,” Kisumi interrupted. Nearly falling out his chair in relief, Asahi started to congratulate himself on a job well done when he kept talking. “But I can’t do tomorrow. Typically our swimming lessons for adults are on Tuesday nights, does that work for you?”





	Drowning in your Everything

**Author's Note:**

> shout out to Bakugouskneepads for the name Baewatch that wasn't used but damn was it a close thing. you always have the best titles

At the sound of his name being yelled, Asahi spun to find the source, juggling the cans in his arms to prevent any from toppling over. The temperature has soared in the last week and the beach that they were at offered little shade, so being the good senpai that he was he’d decided to treat his whole team. His old team now. After all he’d already graduated and picked the university he was going to attend, this was just one last hurrah before the summer holiday began in earnest. Finally catching sight of his friends waving, he hurried in their direction. He’d foolishly turned down the offer of help and hadn’t thought to put on a shirt, so for the past fifteen minutes he’d been wandering lost, twelve freezing cold cans biting into his chest. 

Dropping the cans on top of the few people scattered around, he immediately flopped down onto the warm sand, letting it chase away the cold. Stretching out his arms and shimmying, he sighed in contentment. He ignored the round of shouts that went up, as suddenly handfuls of sand were being dumped onto his back. Not even bothering to resist, he was almost half asleep by the time they’d grown tired of it and moved on. 

“Come swim with us, Asahi!” Someone said, giving his shoulder a shove. 

“I’m comfy go away,” he said, blearily glaring up at whoever it was. Seriously, he was going to fall asleep right here. Besides he was covered in a layer of sand, that would prevent him from getting burnt right? Between that and the sunscreen he’d applied an hour ago. It was fine.

“Just leave him, he’s probably just worried after being off the team for the last year that he can’t keep up anymore,” Ikuya said, voice trailing off as walked away. Asahi knew he was being goaded. They’d known each other since middle school, and while they didn’t always get along, Ikuya had always known exactly how to push his buttons. But they were older now, he was more mature, he wasn’t about to fall for his simple childish goading. Mind made up, he closed his eyes again and tried to tune them out. 

“People do slow down in their old age. I could take him,” Yamagata said. Fucking. Excuse him! This first year honestly thought he could take him? Before he was even aware of moving, he was on his feet and charging after his friends, who were sprinting towards the water laughing. He was going to show them! Sure, he’d had to resign from the team when they hadn’t advanced to regionals, but he had been getting in plenty of practise. 

“You had a head start it doesn’t count!” he yelled after them, finally hitting the water. They were already at least 100 meters out so he had some catching up to do. When he finally reached the site of what could only be described as an epic splash fight, he realized that there were a few people missing. Namely Yamagata. “Hey! Where is he? I have a score to settle!” For his effort he got a face full of water. Coming back up spluttering , he dunked the guilty party, laughing at the startled yell as they went down. 

Spotting a familiar looking blur heading towards the shore, he dove under the water, heading in that direction. When he resurfaced to take a breath he made the mistake of glancing over at the lifeguard station and seeing the most beautiful person he’d ever seen in his life. Pace lost he had to doggy paddle a few strokes to keep his head above water. Then perfection itself turned in his direction, sun glinting off of shoulders that were sinful and fluffy bubblegum hair. 

“Woah.” His arms stilled as he drank in the view, suddenly wishing he was closer to really appreciate it. He was so busy being distracted that he didn’t notice himself sinking until suddenly he was sucking in a mouth full of water. Throat tightening in reflex, he started to cough as he desperately started paddling for shore, fighting to keep his head above water. He’d never live it down if he drowned. He could just imagine the headline: Swim Captain Drowns Over Pretty Face. What a way to go though. Not that he was that far from the shore, the odds of actually drowning were slim. Still he must look ridiculous, splashing around like a magikarp because he was busy concentrating on not choking.

  
Strong arms wrapped around his waist, squeezing tight as he was rolled onto his back, flush against someone's chest. As they took his weight and started pulling him towards the shore, he finally managed to cough up the small amount of water stuck in his throat. God this was embarrassing. His friends were going to make fun of him for the rest of his life. As his feet touched sand, he managed to orient himself and turned to catch a glance of his rescuer. Pink hair was the first thing he noticed, which was already enough to send his heart into overdrive, then the prettiest face all scrunched up in concern. 

“Are you okay? You should probably sit down, that was quite a lot of water you inhaled,” the words were coming to him as if through a distance as hands came down on his back and arm, gently guiding him a sitting position in the sand. Following the directions with no resistance, he couldn't help but stare at his rescuer. He’d been asked a question right? 

“ I'm good?” he assured, nodding and if that were going to prove that he was. 

“Hmm, how many fingers?” A hand came up in front of his face, a whiff of sunscreen and probably sweat coming with it. It shouldn't have been attractive, every person on the beach was wearing sunscreen, yet it might as well have been an aphrodisiac. Again he was being asked questions, couldn't he just look in peace?! His brain was not up to this at the moment. 

“As many as you want to give me,” he said in all seriousness. Propping his head up with his hand he really thought about it for a second, concluding that yes he was definitely willing to take whatever this man was willing to give him. Giggles erupted from behind him. Twisting, he was surprised to see his whole team standing there, holding each other up as they fell about in hysterics. Turning back around, his saviour now had an adorable flush on his cheeks, probably from being out in the sun all day. This would be a perfect opportunity to ask him out for a drink. 

“Ah I meant how many fingers am I holding up?” 

“Oh. Three. That's perfect,” he said, enjoying the smile he got for answering the question correctly. At least he was getting the easy questions. 

“Good that's right,” the lifeguard said, clearing his throat slightly as he stood back up. “ I think you need to be out of the sun for awhile. We have a safety tent a little ways down the beach, can I take you there?”

“You can take me anywhere.” Scrambling to his feet, he nearly fell back over when a hand connected with his elbow, with the intent of helping him along. 

“He should be back soon, we just want to give him some fluids and make sure he’s okay. If you need to get him before then, just head towards the lifeguard station and you'll be able to find him.” The statement seemed to be directed at his teammates, the chorus of thank yous that arose behind him confirming that, but all he could think about was getting some one on one time with this guy. The grip on his elbow tightened and he was being guided along. 

“I’m Asahi Shiina,” he blurted out after they’d been walking for a few seconds. 

“Kisumi Shigino, it’s nice to meet you.” And just like that he had a name. He was one step closer to asking him out. “Are you thirsty?” 

“Definitely.” In all senses of the word. Although now that he was thinking about it he hadn’t even drank one of the cans that he’d spent forever getting and the roof of his mouth was bone dry. Reaching the small medic tent, Kisumi pulled back the flap and allowed him to go in first. The tent was basically empty. There were two folding chairs and a small table with a first aid kit sitting on top. 

“Go ahead and take a seat. I’ll go get something to drink and be right back.” He didn’t even get a chance to reply before the lifeguard disappeared out the tent again. Sinking into one of the available chairs he took a second to appreciate how much nicer it was being out of the sun. Yawning he squirmed into the chair to get as comfortable as possible. Eyes closed he was dangerously close to dozing off, that blasted sun just took it out of him, when the rustling of the tent flap had him jerking awake. Turning he was disappointed to see that it was a new lifeguard coming in. 

“Hey I came to see if you needed a drink?” He asked, flashing a smile as he held out a bottle of water. 

“I’m okay thanks,” he lied, even as his throat protested. Kisumi said that he was going to get him a drink, he could wait until he made it back. Unless he’d sent this guy. Did he not want to see Asahi again? Is that what was going on? In that case he should probably take the drink but what if this guy was just trying to be thoughtful, then Kisumi would come back and he’d already have something to drink. The new lifeguard’s eyebrows went up and he dreaded to think what his face was doing. 

“Are you sure? You look a little flushed.” 

“I said I’m fine!” he replied a little louder than necessary just as the tent flap opened again and this time Kisumi came in, also carrying a bottle of water. Pausing for a second, he frowned at the new lifeguard. 

“Natsuya, what are you doing in here?” his voice was as pleasant as ever but the two lifeguards seemed to be having a silent conversation that went completely over Asahi’s head. 

“I just wanted to check and make sure this guy was okay. Just doing my job.” It almost sounded like he was trying not to laugh. Now Asahi didn’t know a lot about lifeguarding but it seemed like laughing at people who nearly drowned would be on the list of things not to do. 

“Of course you were. Do you still want a drink?” It took a second for him to realize that he was being spoken to. 

“Yes! I’m so thirsty.” Taking the offered bottle he immediately opened it and drained the whole thing in one go, staring down Natsuya as he did it. Apparently the message was received. Laughing the lifeguard clapped Kisumi’s shoulder on his way out the tent. 

“He’s all yours.” 

“Are you feeling any better?” Kisumi asked him, coming over to study his face for any signs of distress, which immediately caused his cheeks to heat up again. “You still look a little heated. Hmm.” Digging through a few boxes that were lying around, he emerged with a cooling towel, which he proceeded to wrap around his neck. 

“Much better, thanks to you,” Asahi rushed to assure him, heart speeding up at the resulting smile that he got. Okay it was now or never. He was going to ask Kisumi out. Or to hang out and maybe things would take from there. Afterwards he would immediately leave, so if the answer was no there’d be no awkwardness and if he said yes he could immediately go and tell his team about how “drowning” was all part of his elaborate plan. “So I was thinking, I mean if you want to, if you wouldn’t mind, you could, say tomorrow night-” 

“Of course! I’d love to,” Kisumi interrupted. Nearly falling out his chair in relief, he started to congratulate himself on a job well done when he kept talking. “But I can’t do tomorrow. Typically our swimming lessons for adults are on Tuesday nights, does that work for you?” 

“Swimming ...lessons,” Asahi repeatedly slowly, nearly laughing at the absurdity of the situation. He, former captain of the swim team, was being offered swimming lessons. 

“It’s okay the classes are usually small, only two or three people. It’s at the local swim club, the class starts at six” Kisumi said, obviously trying to reassure him. 

“Tuesday sounds great!” he said, taking the cooling towel off his neck as he got up and took a step or two towards the exit. “I really appreciate it but I better run it’s probably getting late, I’ll see you on Tuesday!” Without waiting for a response he turned tail and fled. His friends could never find out about this, he’d never live it down. Even as he acknowledged how insane it would be to actually show up for the lessons, he admitted to himself that there was no way in hell he’d miss it.

* * *

 

Skidding through the doors of the swim club, Asahi cursed himself and his particular talent for losing his keys. The clock behind the desk read 18:05 and there were just a few people milling around. What if Kisumi thought he’d been stood up? What if no one else showed either and so he’d already left? His one opportunity was slipping away. Speed walking to the changing rooms, he was glad that he’d at least had the forethought to wear his swim trunks under clothes. Finding the first available locker, he hastily stripped, shoving his bag and clothes in. Bouncing in excitement he headed out to the pool, stopping for a second to duck under the showers for a quick scrub down. 

Following the sound of laughter and screeches, it wasn’t till he rounded the corner to see Kisumi surrounded by little ankle biters, that it occurred to him it was too noisy in the pool. There were a few other people swimming laps but other than that it was just the children. Grinning he hurried towards the group before it slowly started to creep into his brain that maybe this whole thing was a joke. Why would Kisumi invite him to a class filled with kids that barely came past his knees? Was he making fun of him? Which… he’d seemed really nice so surely he wouldn’t do something so mean? 

He didn’t have a chance to work himself into a real panic because Kisumi glanced up and caught sight of his, face splitting into a huge grin. Then he started waving both his arms. He was less than twenty meters away, what a dork. Returning the smile , Asahi closed the distance between them.

“Alright little ducklings, why don’t you go pick out your floats and then we’ll get in the pool. No running!” he called after them as there was a slight mad scramble towards the rack of floats by the wall. 

“Ducklings?” Asahi said, with a chuckle. That was so dang cute. 

“Look at them! They’re so cute and fluffy like little ducklings,” Kisumi explained seriously, lip twitching in amusement. 

“Does that also make me a duckling? My hair can be fluffy,” reaching up he ruffled his hair, to no real effect as it clung wetly to his skull. Regardless it caused Kisumi to erupt with laughter so it was a win. 

“Definitely not a duckling. I’m so sorry, the adult class is actually at five on Tuesdays. I realized right after you left but you’d gone so quickly I couldn’t get your number,” Kisumi explained, shrugging hopelessly. Phew so just a misunderstanding then, not purposely trying not to see him. 

“That’s okay! I’ll give you my number today!” Asahi said, disregarding the fact that he now knew the class time and thus there was no real reason for it. “I can stay and help too if you want!” Where did that offer even come from? 

“These are swimming lessons,” Kisumi said slowly, head tilting slightly as if thinking over the offer. 

“They’re tiny! I can stand in the water, at most they’ll be practicing what? Kicking?” And now he was trying to convince Kisumi to let him help. Man he was so far gone it wasn’t even funny. 

“That would be awesome! You wouldn’t mind?” Would he mind? Ha, what a ridiculous question. He would get to spend an hour in his company, admiring how soft his hair looked and how pretty his smile was. And watching to make sure the kids didn’t drown, he could do that too. “I was supposed to have an assistant with a class this size but he had an emergency.” 

“Just tell me where you need me!” As unlikely as it was, Asahi nevertheless hoped the reply he got would be something along the lines of  _ ‘I need you near me _ ’. Those darn romantic tendencies. He didn’t get much of a chance to respond as they were surrounded by kids again, each of them clamoring to show off the floaties that they’d picked out. 

“Okay ducklings, Coach Asahi will be helping us out today!” In unison of chorus of hello’s echoed as a dozen small faces peered up at him curiously. Immediately one of the little urchins was attacking themselves to his side, taking a hold of his arm.

From that moment on he was busy holding hands, supporting heads and joking with the kids as they lit up with the joy of swimming. He didn’t get to spend as much time admiring the coach as he’d hoped but he found himself having fun regardless. An hour with the kids was more than enough to drain his energy, so after class he made sure to swap numbers with Kisumi before heading home. The sound of Kisumi laughing at him ringing in his ears the whole way.

* * *

 

The next week he arrived at the pool to find Kisumi pacing back and forth by the front door, phone pressed against his ear. Reminding himself to stay cool, he waited till Kisumi lowered his hand, calling out a greeting as he frowned down at his screen. Head jerking up, he was blessed enough to be on the receiving end of that smile. 

“I was just trying to call you!” Kisumi said, slipping his phone back into his pocket. Digging around for his own phone, Asahi laughed sheepishly as he held it up. 

“I guess its dead? I didn’t even notice,” he said. Hopefully no one else had been trying to get in contact with him. “Is something wrong?”

“We’re having issues with one of the pool pumps. All the classes have been cancelled today while it’s being worked on,” Kisumi explained, shifting the bag that was on his shoulder. “I was trying to call and warn you so you didn’t waste the time coming out here.” Shoulders slumping, he struggled not to show how disappointed he was. After all it was just a swimming class, that he didn’t actually need. 

“That’s a shame, thanks for trying to give me a heads up though,” he said, giving a genuine smile at the thought of Kisumi thinking about him. Granted they probably called everyone but he could go ahead and ignore that little fact.

“Hopefully you didn’t come too far?” Kisumi prompted, shifting from side to side. He probably had somewhere to be, now that he didn’t have a class to worry about. 

“Oh no I’m local,” Asahi assured him, vaguely waving his hand around. “Well have a good night then!” Still, he just stood there as a slightly uncomfortable silence fell over them. A second ticked by, then a few more. Feeling deflated, he glanced around as he suddenly had to decide what to do with his afternoon. 

“I was planning to go get something to eat if you want to join me?” Visibly perking up, he quickly agreed. It had been a few hours since he’d eaten. Falling into step with Kisumi, they made small talk as they walked along. He learned that Kisumi played basketball and was part of several different clubs, that he would also be attending a local university and was just lifeguarding for extra cash to travel around during the break. So engrossed in the conversation, when Kisumi held open the restaurant door for him he stepped inside before realizing where he was. 

“Asahi!” The sound of his sister’s voice filled his whole body with dread as he briefly contemplated if he could play it off as a case of mistaken identity. However one false move and his sister would be all over that. It would definitely be more painful if she thought he was trying to hide something. He could do this. He was cool as a cucumber. Nothing to hide. 

“Hey Akane, where’s Tsukushi?” There. Asking about his nephew was safe. Couldn’t go wrong with that.

“Having some father bonding time,” she dismissed, placing two menus on the bar in front of her, obviously for them. Despite not wanting to sit so close, that was dangerous, he made his way over anyway. “Who’s your friend?” Damn. 

“You’re Asahi’s sister! Nice to meet you, I’m Shigino Kisumi,” Kisumi said before he had a chance to open his mouth. This was okay, this would be fine. Usually she left him and his friends alone after making some small talk. Though the looks she was shooting him screamed that she thought this was a date and he might be subject to more thorough teasing. 

“Kurimiya Akane, it’s a pleasure. So how do you two know each other?” she asked, setting down two glasses of water in front of them. 

“The beach,” Asahi blurted out loudly. 

“I’m teaching him to swim!” Kisumi answered at the same time. For a second he hoped his sister hadn’t heard, then she started coughing and wheezing, resorting to clinging to the bar to hold herself up. Face warming he could see Kisumi looking at him from his peripherals. “I’m sorry should I not have mentioned it?” 

“No you definitely should have!” His sister wheezed out in between her laughter, turning her back on them to try and get it under control. “Sorry sorry I’ll give you a minute to look over the menu.” Still laughing she disappeared into the back room. 

“It’s okay,” Asahi said, needing to reassure Kisumi who was starting to look a little concerned. “Sisters, they’ll take any opportunity to give you a hard time.” When he got a smile in return he relaxed minutely. He was never going to live this down but it seemed like his sister was at least not going to give him away. 

“I only have a younger brother,” Kisumi told him, picking up his menu to flick through it.

“Lucky! The yakitori is really good or the pork cutlets if you like either of those,” he suggested, deciding on the curry for himself, just to switch it up. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Akane came back to take their order. Thankfully a few more people had entered the restaurant at that point so she didn’t take the time to stand and tease some more. 

The rest of the meal passed without further mishap. Kisumi was funny with a sharp sense of humor, which he didn’t mind using to dig at Asahi. It was the most fun Asahi had had in a long time. Even knowing it wasn’t a date, it sure felt like one. It was almost alarming how well they clicked and fed off of each others energy. After they were done eating they sat talking for well over an hour, until it was darkening outside and Asahi knew he should really get going. Kisumi must have been thinking the same, pulling out his wallet to pay for the meal just to have his sister wave him off. They headed out the door, pausing briefly and making promises to text each other before heading off in opposite directions.

* * *

 

Text they did. A day of texting on and off turned into a week and then two. Little things. Pictures of their lunch, selfies of Kisumi pulling faces as he waited for his classes to arrive, tales about being a lifeguard, Asahi sent pictures of his neighbours dog he was looking after. Their schedules had became hectic after their dinner together, leaving no room for the promised swimming lesson. But Asahi accompanied Kisumi on his quest to finding his mother a birthday present, the favor was returned when he needed a present for his nephew. He went to watch a pick up game in the park that Kisumi was playing in. They convinced him to play for a whole five minutes before realizing just how bad he was and allowing him to watch. He did get to enjoying a few minutes of Kisumi standing behind him, arms encasing him as he tried to demonstrate how to make a shot, which had a large part in why he performed so poorly. 

It was amazing. The more time he spent with Kisumi the more he wanted to spend with him. It was just, his secret was eating him up inside. Although the hadn’t officially declared their intentions, a lot of their outings had a date like feeling to them. Sometimes they would even hold hands. Once Kisumi had leaned in close, going in for a kiss, just for Asahi to turn away at the last second. Kisumi seemed unaffected by it and nothing changed between them, they still held hands and text every spare second. The guilt wouldn’t let him take it further though. Of course he wanted Kisumi to kiss him, hell he’d nearly swooned on the spot when he realized what was happening. He just…. Had to come clean before then and hope that Kisumi didn’t mind that he’d been deceived. 

Still, there was time to worry about that later. It was a week before classes were due to start and the university campus was open for students to come and collect their class schedules and meet with prospective clubs and ones they had already been accepted into. The swim team was having a friendly match, the newcomers versus the current team members. Apparently it was a pretty common practise at this particular university, so all the club matches were spread out strategically so if someone wanted to, they could attend them all.

Stretching his arms above his head, he surveyed the other swimmers standing around him. A few of them were familiar, he’d swam against them before. True this was all for fun but he still planned to swim his best and beat the competition. When they called for the butterfly swimmers to step up he was practically vibrating in excitement. Sure he’d still been swimming during the break but there was nothing like swimming against other people. Stepping up onto the diving board he focused solely on the surface in front of him, breathing deeply as he blocked out all the people milling around. 

The time between the whistle blowing and him emerging from the water again felt like a lifetime, even though in reality it was less than a minute. Pulling himself out the pool, he tried not to preen too much at the fact that he came in third, beating out a lot of the current swim members. In the middle of congratulating the guy swimming beside him, it took his name being called a few times for it to process. Making excuses, he headed towards the crowd, trying to locate whoever it was that was calling him. 

“That was awesome!” Turning he finally caught sight of Kisumi, arm sweeping over his head as he hurried towards him. Despite the adrenaline that was still pumping he could do nothing to convince his body to move. All he could think about was the fact that he had been caught out in a lie before having time to confess. 

“Why are you here?!” he yelled as Kisumi threw an arm around his still damp shoulders to pull him into a side hug. Luckily he didn’t seem to mind being deafened because he just laughed. God he had such a nice laugh, he’d never grow tired of it. Even when directed at him. 

“I came to see you of course!” Which. What? 

“How did you know?” His brain hadn’t quite caught up with the whole situation yet. 

“There’s flyers all over the campus. Didn’t I tell you I was coming here too? I just thought you were nervous and that’s why you didn’t invite me,” Kisumi said, reaching out to touch his shoulders again. Seeming to catch himself, his cheeks turned pink as he pulled his hand back again. 

“What?!” 

“I… Sorry should I have not came?” For the first time since meeting him, Kisumi suddenly looked uncertain of himself. 

“How did you know I could swim? I’ve been trying to tell you for weeks!” Asahi forced out, more than a little confused by this turn of events. 

“I’ve known since that first time we went out to eat. Your sister has pictures up of you with a swim team?” Kisumi explained, head tilted slightly and for all the world looking like he was trying not to laugh. “That’s why I never asked you to come to the lessons again? I figured you knew when you didn’t bring it up again…”    
  
“You mean I could have let you kiss me?” That was definitely too loud, judging by the many heads that turned in their direction. Grabbing hold of Kisumi’s hand, he pulled him along, down the side of the stands, so they had at least a modicum of privacy. 

“Let me kiss you?” Kisumi questioned as the came to a stop, several centimeters between them. 

“A week or two ago. I thought you were going to kiss me but felt bad because I was keeping a secret and I knew I had to tell you,” Asahi blurted out, relief flooding him as he got the whole thing off his chest. When the other boy started grinning, he couldn’t help but mirror the expression. 

“Well since I know now, does that mean I can kiss you?” Feeling lightheaded with happiness, he surged forward to claim Kisumi’s lips in a kiss. They were both grinning too much for it to be more than a mashing of their mouths together but it was perfect. And Asahi couldn’t wait to find out just how much more perfect it could be.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I am in Asakisu hell and there are not enough people here with me. Please come cry with me on [my tumblr! ](http://x-lazart-x.tumblr.com/)


End file.
